1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of video, and in particular, to a system that allows for the continuous viewing of video that is transferred from a communication network even though the network transfer rate is slower than the video display rate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A video-on-demand service allows a user to select a video from a video collection, and in response, a video server downloads the selected video over a communication network to the user's video display. Typically, the network transfer rate is greater than or equal to the video display rate. This ensures that the video display always has enough video to display to the user. If the network transfer rate becomes slower than the video display rate, then the video display runs out of video to display to the user.
In many areas, the network transfer rates have not kept up with the video display rates. This rate gap is enhanced with the emergence of high-definition television. In areas where adequate network transfer rates are available for video-on-demand, the communication network is usually controlled by a single entity, so true competition among video-on-demand services remains stifled. Technology is needed to provide a quality video-on-demand service in situations where network transfer rates are slower then video display rates.